TICAD, the first and one of a kind

18 March 2019

In 1993 Japan as a country took the lead in hosting the first international conference on Africa’s development. Hosted in Tokyo, the conference was initiated as a result of donor and aid fatigue, which saw minimal results and donor frustration.

The “Tokyo Declaration on Africa’s Development” adopted at the conference, set out guidelines for interactions with Africa to move beyond the dependence on aid and donor funding, to ownership and commerce. The declaration recognized and acknowledged that the African continent is bountiful and that reforming and re-thinking the socio-economic and political processes would unlock Africa’s untold potential.

The 2019 TICAD VII (7) will take place in Yokohama in August this year. The G20, the Rugby World Cup and WAW, the World Assembly for Women, will all be held in Japan this year. Japan will be sufficiently occupied as Tokyo prepares to host the 32nd Summer Olympic Games in 2020.